The Protected
by Jenna Nevermore
Summary: The KV Virus spreads to India, and teenage Vatsala gets caught up in the chaos. She disobeys her father's orders and leaves the shelter of her home to see her boyfriend. But what toll will this have on her family?
1. Sheltered

It took me forever to write this!! be kind to my baby.

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**New Delhi, India**

The sun was setting over the horizon. I was standing outside the front door, taking in the beauty of it. At least the sun and sky could not be infected; they would never turn into bloodthirsty monsters. No, nature would always be beautiful.

"Come, Vatsala. Hurry."

My father stood in the doorway, holding yet another box full of our belongings and beckoning me to follow him inside.

"One last look at the sky, father," I pleaded.

"You will see the sky again when the epidemic is over. Come now. Get your things and take them down to the shelter at once."

I didn't want to leave the doorstep. The sky was now burning a deep orange, the exact color of my mother's favorite dress. I hade admired that dress ever since I was little, and she had promised to give it to me one day.

"She wants to see Pritam," my younger brother chided. He had appeared in the doorway as well, looking for any other boxes that needed to be carried down to the shelter. I gave him a scathing look before my father could look back at me. My father searched my eyes for a moment, and then turned back to the boxes, shaking his head.

"Hush, Madhev. She would never risk infecting us all."

He hoisted the box more firmly on his chest and strode away down the hall toward the library where the entrance to our shelter was located. My brother looked at me, staring intently into my eyes. It seemed like he could see straight into my soul; see what my intentions were.

My resolve was weakening. I didn't want to infect my family, but I _had_ to see Pritam. I would not let this epidemic tear us apart. While my family was preoccupied with getting the shelter ready, I grabbed a mouth-and-nose mask and quietly slipped out the door. No one would miss me; I would only be gone a few minutes.

When I reached the town square, it was in utter chaos. Buildings were already on fire and mothers with children were running and screaming from a killer they could not see; could not run from. I searched frantically, trying to find evidence that my boyfriend had at least _been _here. I heard my name called over the roar of the turmoil, and looked up to find Pritam standing on top of an over-turned bus; his arms stretched out to me.

"Pritam!" I screamed.

"You shouldn't have come," he said as he pulled me up to him.

"I'm not leaving without you," I cried, clutching to him tightly. He held me close, rubbing his strong arms up and down my back.

"Your father would never let me into the shelter, Vatsala. And he is right. There is no cure for this disease; he wouldn't want to risk infecting the family. Go. Go with your family and live through this."

"I don't want to lose you!"

"I'll still be here when you come out, Vatsala. We can be together again."

I cried and hugged him tightly. He was right.

"Our love can live through anything."


	2. Abandoned

I snuck back into the house a while later, hoping that my parents hadn't forgotten about me

I snuck back into the house a while later, hoping that my parents hadn't forgotten about me. The hallways were dark and barren; it looked like no one had lived here for years.

"Mother? Father?" I called. "Madhev?"

I walked slowly towards the library. The bookshelf that blocked the hidden door was put securely in place. They couldn't wait 15 minutes? I hauled the bookshelf out of the way and stepped cautiously into the dark. I moved swiftly down the dark and dank passageway to the vault. When I reached the big chamber door, I saw that they had left candles and food out for me. I didn't know why; I knew how to get to the shelter, and I surely wasn't staying out here.

I punched in the code in the keypad next to the door, and waited for it to unlock. Instead, I heard the rejection tone. The code wasn't working? I pressed the communication buzzer, and spoke into the speaker.

"Father? Mother? Didn't you notice I was gone?"

My fathers voice came in rough and filled with static from the transmitter.

"I noticed, Vatsala."

He noticed? Then why wasn't he letting me in?

"The code won't work. Open the door, let me in."

"I'm sorry. I- I can't."

I could hear my mother crying in the background, and Madhev pleading with my father to let me in.

"What? Why not?"

"You went to see Pritam, didn't you?"

"He wouldn't come father, he told me to come and be safe with you!"

I was starting to get annoyed. This wasn't funny. I couldn't believe that my own father wouldn't let me into the shelter just because I went to see Pritam. The voice that came through the transmitter was cracked and shaky. It sounded like my father was crying.

"You kissed him, yes?"

So that was it.

"I'm not infected! I'm fine!" I yelled.

"I can't let you in, Vatsala. I'm sorry."

"But I was only a few minutes late! You can't punish me for that!"

"I can't risk infecting the family."

"But I'm not sick!" I countered.

"Stay where you are for 48 hours. Then, if you are still not infected, I can let you in safely. We left some food and water out there for you."

I couldn't believe this. They were just going to leave me out here?

"And if I am infected? Would you just let me die out here?"

"There's no cure or treatment for the disease. If you're infected, there is nothing we can do."

"NO! You can't do this to me! This isn't fair!" I screamed, pounding my fist on the metal door. I tried twisting the round, steering wheel-like handle by brute force alone, but I knew it wouldn't budge.

"I'm protecting the family, Vatsala… from you."

"You can't punish me like this! What I did wasn't so bad!" I cried.

I heard my father sigh in emotional pain; pain I was causing him.

"Why couldn't you obey me just this once, Vatsala? This disease turns humans, good people, into… something else. Demons. If you are infected, we… we have already lost you. We love you, Vatsala. We will prey for you."

After that, I heard nothing. I cursed my father silently.

"I hate you, father. I will never forgive you for this."


	3. Sick

I didn't feel well

I didn't feel well. I was cold, shaking, and had sweat pouring down my face.

"It's not a fever," I told myself. "I'm just cold here underground."

'And the sweat?' Asked a small voice in the back of my mind.

"I'm just nervous, that's all."

'First sign of infection, raging fever…'

"I'm _not_ sick," I said firmly. Great. Now I was talking to myself. I huddled myself into a tighter ball in my blanket, trying to retain some of my body heat. I missed my family. I wanted to curl into my mothers' arms and have her whisper loving words to me to calm my pounding fears. I wanted to see Madhev; he must be so scared. I needed to have his small body right next to mine to know my fragile little brother was safe; I could comfort him and we could keep warm together. And my father… I was still hurt that he wouldn't allow me, his own daughter, into the shelter. I was sure I was fine, that I wasn't infected, but he must have his reasons. He's only trying to protect the family, after all. I missed everybody…

I must have sat like that, huddled tightly in a blanket, thinking about my family for hours. I was actually starting to get hungry. I searched with my eyes for the food, not daring to move a muscle in my aching body, until I spotted some bread and water over in the corner. My muscles ached, but my stomach ached more. I needed some food. I crawled slowly over to the food and water, and tore off a piece of bread in my feeble fingers. I chewed slowly and only swallowed a little bit at a time, not wanting to upset my already sensitive stomach.

I felt better at first; I actually thought the only reason I didn't feel well was because I hadn't eaten in a while. How long had I been down here? Maybe 16 hours? My hopes were rising; maybe I would be let into the shelter sooner than later if I had gone this long without showing any real symptoms. I was about to stand up, to see if I could walk stably, when the nausea hit. I barely had time to get on all fours before my stomach rid itself of all its contents. I kept heaving even after all the food had been dispelled; eventually all that was coming up was my own stomach acid.

'Second sign of infection, rejection to all food and water…'

"Shut up," I told the voice in my head. "There must be something wrong with the food or the water. Bacteria or something…"

I was really getting tired of this stupid voice. What did it know about the infection anyways? There are different symptoms; they don't all have to manifest themselves in a specific order…

"Yeah, who asked you anyway?" I sneered at the voice. I kicked the plate of bread and knocked over the water.

"Useless…" I muttered.

'You're getting aggressive. That's another si-'

"SHUT UP!" I screamed. "Shut up, shut up, shut UP! Stop it with the signs! I don't believe you! I'm FINE!!"

My voice echoed in the emptiness around me. I could hear my last word resonating off the walls. _Fine… fine… fine_… I was a bit embarrassed. There was no one here; I was just arguing with myself.

"I just need some sleep," I reasoned. I curled up in my blanket again and closed my eyes. The last thought I heard before drifting off was the faint voice inside my head.

'_You only have so much time left…_'


	4. The Dream

I was crawling toward the door

I was crawling toward the door. I put my hand up to grasp the handle, and hauled my entire body up to a standing position. I pressed my finger to the communicator button on the transmitter and leaned my cheek on the wall, with my mouth directly on the speakers. The cool stone wall against my skin felt heavenly.

"_Hey," I called quietly. "I think I'm fine now. I was a little bit sick, but now I'm okay. Will you let me in?"_

_All that came back at me was white noise. I tried again, making my voice stronger._

"_Hey! Let me in! Why is no one answering? Are you all dead in there?"_

_I gripped the circular handle tightly and yanked at it with all my might, but to no avail. The door remained firmly shut. _

"_LET ME IN!!" I screamed. I grabbed the transmitter and pounded it with all my might, trying to make someone hear me. The buttons crumbled under my palm and the entire transmitter was crushed under the force. I stepped back and threw myself at the door, my nails scraping the metal with a harsh shriek as I sank to my knees. _

"_Please…" I sobbed. "Somebody please… let me in…"_

_Suddenly, I heard the lock clicking from the other side of the door. Someone was unlocking it. I stood up slowly, placed my hand on the handle, and yanked. _

_I threw open the door and stared into the faces of several black figures with piercing white eyes, cringing against the light. They hissed and growled at me, their hollow white sockets boring into my eyes. This was not my family…these were demons! Rage took over me. I threw myself at the creatures, clawing and scratching at every surface I could._

"_Where is my family?! What did you do to them?! What did you do to my family?!" I roared. What came out of my mouth didn't even sound like words, but an inhuman scream painted with anger and pain. _

_I grabbed one of the monsters by its neck and smashed its head against the rough stone, crushing its skull and letting the rich blood splatter against the wall. It was enticing, to see these crimson red juices flowing freely from the body. And the smell… oh, I was so hungry… it was too much to bear. I threw the body to the ground and pounced upon it, ripping open the flesh and releasing its innards. The thick blood ran over my hands and I growled in ecstasy. It looked so delicious… I plunged my hands in, lowered my head, and began to feed._

The blood… I was weak… so hungry. I looked around me and saw everything with perfect clarity. The edges of my vision were not hazed with the fog of a dream; the sight around me was sharp and clear.

_But I must still be dreaming…_ I thought. Reality was the same as my dream. Or, my dream was reality… something was out of place here. I thought I had dreamt everything; the creatures, the blood, everything… but it was here in front of me. And the burning hunger that I had felt in that dream still scorched the back of my throat.

I needed this. This was bound to happen sooner or later. I was no monster; I just did what I had to in order to stay alive. With everyone else gone, I was alone and left to fend for myself.

But I wasn't alone, I realized. There was still someone out there, waiting for me.

_Pritam_…

That one thought I repeated in my mind over and over again; every heartbeat had a name. _Pritam, Pritam, Pritam…_ It was my mantra I chanted as I raced out of the tunnel and into the night to find my love.


	5. Reunited

The town was in shambles

The town was in shambles. How long had I been down in that dungeon? It seemed like months, years even. The moon was high in the sky and fires burned left and right. It left an eerie glow that danced across the city, but I felt oddly comforted by the light and solitude. I slinked into the town square where I saw Pritam for the last time since I'd gone into hiding. It seemed like forever without him. I saw the overturned bus, broken and smashed into nearly nothing but rubble. I looked around at my surroundings and tried to determine where to start my search.

He promised he would be here for me, the question was, where exactly was _here_? I wandered to the bus, and carefully pressed my hand against the glass of one of the unbroken windows. It was cool beneath my fingers, and I could see my breath fogging up the surface before me.

It was beautiful, the solitude and silence of the night around me… but it was suddenly broken by a low growl I shouldn't have been able to hear coming from inside the bus. I stepped away hastily. Whatever was in there, I did _not_ want to make it angry. The growling and hissing grew louder, until it finally pierced my ears with a shriek as the thing making the sound broke through the glass I was standing in front of moments before. The thing was huge; maybe close to 7 feet tall. I looked up into its face and saw… familiarity. All the curves and slants of the face were familiar to me and my fingers; I could trace the lines of this beautiful face in my sleep.

"Pritam…?" I breathed.

"Vatsala…" he moaned. He lifted his gigantic hand to caress my cheek. "You found me. I- I'm sorry. I tried to be safe, but I got sick. I'm changed."

And I could see what he meant. He was taller now, much more muscular, and there was hunger burning in his eyes similar to my own. And everything finally clicked. I understood now. We _had_ changed. We were different; stronger, faster, and bloodthirsty. We had become elite. Special. And were together.

"Come," I beckoned. "I know where we can get something to eat."

I took his hand in mine and we raced together through the silent empty streets of New Delhi.

He followed me back to the dungeon. It was quiet and dank, like always, but there was something… sort of _mewling_ in the black distance. I edged forward slowly, not wanting to scare away another potential meal. My footsteps didn't even make a sound on the hard concrete beneath them. As I stepped into the chamber, my magnificent eyes caught what had made the sound in the dark. It was another creature, a demon, lurking in the shadows next to another dead body.

Its eyes widened a tremendous amount when they locked with mine. It opened its mouth and screeched at us angrily, hissing and screaming wordlessly.

"Pritam!" I screamed. "It's going to attack! Kill it! Kill it!"

Pritam sprang forward and tackled the screaming thing, snapping its neck and crushing it beneath him. The hunger in his eyes flared at the blood flowing from the corpse. I picked up another dead thing I had killed earlier, and tore off a ligament.

"My father was stupid," I concluded. "He was all worried about the disease, but look at us now. We're stronger and faster than ever. And where are they?"

I'm pretty sure one of them was in my hands, being devoured to feed my mutant hunger. And I really hoped it was my father.


	6. Madhev

Madhev's Point Of View Madhev's Point Of View

I didn't mean to let the monster in. I thought it was Vatsala knocking at the door! I just wanted to see my sister again, to see if she was all right. It was unfair of my father not to let her be safe with us. But when I finally opened the door, the monster charged in and killed my parents, while I hid in the corner, trying to keep quiet for survival. Not that the thing would have heard me anyway, its screeching and howling drowned out everything else.

I heard something in the distance now. I clung to my mothers body, scared insane.

"I'm sorry, mother," I whispered. "Im so scared. I think the monsters back…"

Then, A shadow loomed over the open entrance to the shelter, snarling and growling.

"GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE!!" I pleaded.

But to no avail. Death shrieked, and pounced.

**THE END.**


End file.
